Running back ends retirement for Raiders move

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April 26, 2017 10:21 PM

The 31-year-old heads to Oakland in a trade which will see Seattle gain the Raiders' fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft.

Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks warms up prior to playing the San Francisco 49ers in their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on October 22, 2015 in Santa Clara, California

Marshawn Lynch ended his year-long retirement from the NFL on Wednesday, confirming a switch to the Oakland Raiders after a deal with former team the Seattle Seahawks.

The 31-year-old running back known as "Beast Mode," who quit the sport after the 2015 season, heads to Oakland in a trade which will see Seattle gain the Raiders' fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft.

Oakland will also receive Seattle's sixth-round draft pick in the deal.

Lynch, a blockbusting presence during the Seahawks' march to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in 2015 and 2014, confirmed his return in a tweet.

"It's time," he wrote in a tweet that also included a screenshot of a message.

"I had hella fun in Seattle ... But I'm really from Oakland doe like really really really from Oakland doe ... town bizzness breath on me."

Lynch, who was at Oakland's training facility to take a physical on Wednesday, has agreed a two-year deal.

Reports said Lynch would be paid a base salary of $3 million, with a possible bonus of $2 million on offer if he rushes more than 1,000 yards.

Lynch first joined the Seahawks after a 2010 trade with the Buffalo Bills. He started 77 of 82 games for Seattle and ranks fourth on the franchise list in rushing yards (6,347) and rushing attempts (1,457), second in rushing touchdowns (57) and third in touchdowns (65).

With the Bills and Seahawks, he racked up 74 touchdowns and totalled 9,112 rushing yards on 2,144 carries.

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